Despite allegations of rigging and misuse of official machinery by the Samajwadi Party (SP), which were denied by authorities, over 66 per cent of the 3.70 lakh voters cast their ballots in the prestigious Milkipur (Reserved) Assembly bypoll on Wednesday.
Polling remained largely peaceful, barring complaints from the SP regarding the alleged expulsion of its booth agents at some locations.
Voter turnout stood at approximately 57 per cent by 3 PM, rising to 65.25 per cent by 5 PM. Compared to the 2022 Assembly elections, when turnout was 60.44 per cent this bypoll recorded an increase of around 5 per cent.
The counting of votes will take place on February 8 to determine the fate of the 10 candidates contesting the seat.
Milkipur is witnessing a direct contest between the Samajwadi Party’s Ajeet Prasad and the BJP’s Chandrabhanu Paswan, as neither the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) nor the Congress fielded candidates.
The by-election was necessitated after Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad vacated the seat following his victory in the Faizabad (Ayodhya) Lok Sabha election last year.
Awadhesh Prasad, who had won the Milkipur seat in the 2022 Assembly elections, is now succeeded by his son, Ajeet Prasad, as the SP candidate.